Sales of America the Beautiful Silver coins peaked in 2011 at 465,100.

Each year since 2010, the U.S. Mint has produced five different designs of America the Beautiful coins. The reverse of the ATB coins features various depictions of U.S. National Parks or other national sites. The obverse of the ATB coins looks like a U.S. quarter featuring a portrait of George Washington. Indeed, the ATB series includes U.S. quarters intended for general circulation with face values of twenty five cents that are produced in the same design as their five ounce silver commemorative counterparts.

The ATB silver bullion commemoratives therfore, look like giant quarters and even bear a face value of a “quarter dollar”, though the five ounces of silver contained in the coins makes them worth far more! Today the U.S. Mint releases the first of five designs for 2016 – the Shawnee National Forest, which is the 31st design in the ATB series.

Pictured above is a quarter dollar that is also a five ounce silver coin!

Later this year, the U.S. Mint will release four more ATB designs: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Fort Moultrie at Fort Sumter National Monument.

Because of their limited mintages, the ATB silver commemoratives often sell out quickly and later sell for higher premiums over the value of their silver bullion content.

The Shawnee National Forest America The Beautiful Quarter is released today.